


The First Goodbye

by yehwellwhatever



Category: The Anthemic
Genre: Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-29
Updated: 2012-08-29
Packaged: 2017-11-13 03:24:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/498918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yehwellwhatever/pseuds/yehwellwhatever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andy and Neal has to leave their daughter for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The First Goodbye

“Teresa Grace Tiemann, get down here!” Neal calls up the stairs. If there was one gene he didn’t want his kids to inherit from him – though he doesn’t see how that’s even possible since they’re both adopted – it’s the inability to be on time. “Today is a day we _can’t_ be late.”

When there’s no indication at all that she’s actually on her way, Neal sighs and starts walking upstairs. He heads for her room first, but finds it empty at first glance. The rest of the upstairs is silent, all rooms empty until there’s only the bathroom left. Of course, that door is locked.

“Gracie?” Neal asks, knocking lightly on the door. He can hear shuffling inside, but he doesn’t get a reply. “Can you open up, baby girl?”

“No…” Grace’s voice comes through the door, sound muffled by the wood. “I don’t wanna go.”

Neal sighs. They’ve been through this every day for over a week now, of course she wouldn’t give up without a fight. “We’ve been through this, Gracie, you don’t really have a say in the matter.”

He can hear the lock turn, and seconds later Grace’s big brown eyes peek through the door. “I don’t understand why I can’t just go with you and Dad. Nicky gets to come with you, why can’t I?”

Neal kneels down, putting him in Grace’s eye level. “Come here, Gracie,” he says, beckoning her out of the bathroom, arms stretched out.

She just looks at him for a moment, eyes big and bright with unshed tears, before coming closer. “It’s not fair, Daddy,” she says, stepping into Neal’s embrace. “I’ll miss you, so so much.” She buries her head in his shoulder, sniveling.

“I know baby,” Neal says, kissing the top of her head. “We’ll miss you, too.” He can already feel a pang of longing in his chest, and they haven’t even left yet. How had they ever thought that a month long tour would be a good idea? Right now it seems like an utterly terrible idea. The worst they’ve ever had, really, and between the two of them, Neal and Andy have had their fair share of bad ideas.

Grace looks up at him then, eyes and cheeks wet from the tears falling, lower lip quivering. “Then, then _don’t go_ ,” she says. “Or take me with you. Why can’t you take me with you? Don’t you love me as much as Nicky?”

Neal nearly falls back at that, the words are like a punch in the gut. “Teresa Grace, you know that’s not true!” Andy’s voice rings out harsh behind him, anger and disappointment clear in his tone. “We love you both equally, you know that. Now, apologize to your Daddy.”

Grace bursts into tears, sobbing more heavily this time as she flings herself into Neal’s arms, and this time he does topple over, landing on the hardwood floor with an _‘umpfh’_. At eight years old, she’s not exactly tiny anymore, but they lie there for a good while, Neal stroking his fingers through her long brown hair.

He looks over at his husband and isn’t surprised to see tears shining in his eyes, too, even in the dull light of the hallway. This is equally hard on all of them. “Love you,” Andy mouths, smiling ever so slightly before turning and walking down the stairs again.

“It’ll be okay,” Neal whispers into Grace’s hair. “We’ll call twice a day, and you can call us whenever. I know Aunt Lexi has a lot of plans for you, so you have to promise to be good to her, okay?” He doesn’t wait for a reply before he keeps talking. “I know you want to come with us, but school is important, and you’ll have all your friends to play with. Just think about all the things Aunt Lexi will let you and Olivia do that you could never do with me and Dad. I do believe Aunt Lexi mentioned something about horses.”

Grace perks up at that. “Horses?” she asks, as she lifts her head up and looks at Neal before rubbing the tears out of her eyes. “Are you just making this up?” She frowns, her voice filled with doubt.

“Scout’s honor, I’m not,” Neal says, trying to do the correct hands motion.

“You were never a scout,” Grace says with a laugh. “Does this mean you’re making this up?” She sits up on Neal, managing to get a knee in his stomach as she moves. “I’m asking Dad, he’ll tell me the truth.”

In a flash she’s down the stairs, and it’s like the last few minutes never happened. Neal still hasn’t gotten used to how fast her mood can shift. “Don’t run down the stairs, Teresa Grace!” Neal calls after his daughter, heaving himself off the floor to follow her.

When he nears the kitchen, he hears Grace squeal of joy, and Andy’s laughter ringing through the air. Stopping in the gap between the kitchen and the open spaced living room/dining room, Neal can’t help but smile. Andy has Grace in his arms, twirling her around in a way that looks nauseating while Nicky is in his booster seat, banging a plastic spoon against the wooden tray, squealing with joy just like his sister.

Goodbye’s are hard, harder than he ever thought when it comes to his own child, but he has a feeling that it’ll all be okay. Now he just has to make sure that his sister-in-law actually takes his daughter riding, or he’s sure his daughter never let either of her parents go anywhere without her, ever again. And well, that might just be a little too much to deal with down the line.

Pulling out his cell from his pocket, he sneaks back upstairs without anyone noticing. “Hey Lexi,” he says as soon as the line connects. “You know that friend of yours, she still has that stud farm, right? You’re gonna have to take Grace there sometime while we’re away. Like, let’s say, once a week…”

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 100_prompts @ LJ, for prompt _#41 – Goodbye_.


End file.
